Head, Administration & Finance (Pooled Services: EYSDC, WRMC & Resident Reps.) at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Head, Administration & Finance (Pooled Services: EYSDC, WRMC & Resident Reps.)

Job Code: 20000637
Location: Ougadougou, Burkina Faso
Institution: ECOWAS Commission
Grade: P5
Status: Permanent
Division: Administration & Finance
Line Supervisor: Director, EYSDC
Directorate: ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre (EYSDC)
Agency: EYSDC (Pooled Services, EYSDC, WRMC & Resident Reps), Ouagadougou
Supervising: Accountants, HR/Administration Officer, Legal Advisors, IT Webmaster

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Director, EYSDC, the incumbent shall be responsible for planning, co-coordinating, and implementing and providing Administration, Human Resources and Finance support services for the ECOWAS Agencies and Offices based In Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Role and Responsibilities

• Ensure the planning, coordination, and control of the activities of the Pooled Services.
• Be responsible for staff organization and discipline including attendance, leave roster, writing schedule of duties, recruitment of auxiliary staff (interview and drafting of appointment letters, transport control and filing system).
• Be responsible for the organization of the postage and postal services of the organization.
• Assist in the preparation of the budget of the ECOWAS Agencies and Offices covered.
• Ensure smooth operation of the ongoing administrative functions including work environment, space, equipment, and information retrieval system.
• Assist in identifying the operational needs and develop and support the implementation of the supported Agencies and Offices’ Annual Procurement Plan.
• Provide input into the supported Agencies and Offices’ budget/work programme and monitor Pooled Services’ budget and programme of work.
• Monitoring payments to vendors and individual contractors for services rendered.
• Coordinate shipment/freights, customs clearances, and the preparation of all related documentation.
• Supervise other Administration, Finance, and human resources staff.
• Provide information to staff regarding office administration procedures, processes and practices.
• Ensure the implementation of all the initiatives that will enable a rational management of the material, human resources (logistics and procedures);
• Ensure the preparation of objective, accurate, coherent reports in conformity with ECOWAS Rules and Regulations.
• Ensure the efficient reporting of actions implemented and results to the Heads of the Agencies and Offices covered and to the Directors of Administration and Finance at the ECOWAS Commission.
• Ensure internal and external visibility of the actions and results of the Supported Agencies and Offices.
• Ensure coherence of the actions and activities implemented with specific objectives of the Supported Agencies and Offices and the general objectives of the Institution.
• Define the main orientations of controls and indicators to be put in place, as well as the framework for reporting to the General Management.
• Advise the Directors of Administration and Finance on issues regarding staff suitability for appointments, welfare and discipline and other type of staff movements, management of staff relations, trends, and developments in the areas of material, financial and human resources.
• Execute any other duty as might be assigned by the supervisor.

Academic Qualification and Experience

• Master's Degree (or equivalent) in Administration, Finance, Business Administration, Management or in a similar discipline from a recognized University.
• 10 years of professional experience in managing finance and budget operations, general administration, and procurement, in an international or multinational organization including 5 years at a supervisory level.
• Knowledge of ECOWAS financial regulations and procedures and an ability to apply them.
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical advice on a broad range of administrative, financial and accountancy areas.
• Demonstrated knowledge in network development to support financial data.
• Demonstrated skill in service orientation and delivery.
• Demonstrated experience and skill in the use of modern finance/accounting tools (IPSAS, SAP, ATLAS) would be an advantage.

Age Limit:

• Be below 50 years old. This provision does not apply to internal candidates.

ECOWAS Key Competencies

• Ability to lead in assigned programs and projects by providing the necessary managerial and operational expertise required for the fulfillment of the organization’s mandate (e.g. establish networks and benchmarks).
• Ability to lead by example and organize teamwork to encourage cooperation to achieve targeted results, champion and build momentum for change and to bring about employee engagement; develops and implements internal controls for pilot Program to manage potential barriers to implementation.
• Excellent self-management skills, demonstrating ethics and integrity and displaying due regards for internal controls of rules, delegations, and transparency.
• Ability to bring together complementary skills/expertise, assess individual contributions and recognize/address accomplishments and shortcomings in a manner that brings continued success to the organization.
• Knowledge of program management at the level usually acquired from a certification in program management (e.g. Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) or Program Management Professional PgMP).
• Ability to research benchmarks and trends to bring about the best recommendations for the development and improvement of programs/projects that will best serve the community/organization.
• Well-developed networking and interpersonal skills to seek feedback, information, and data from a network of professionals from multiple countries/sectors/organizations and to identify and prioritize the most critical community requirements.
• Ability to manage and co-ordinate client management initiatives (e.g. feedback loops, surveys, studies, needs assessments) and make recommendations.
• Ability to develop and implement best practices in client services (e.g. dashboards, incentive management, feedback mechanisms).
• Ability to develop and implement stakeholder management plans, programs, and initiatives to obtain buy-in on new initiatives, to better understand dissenting views, to obtain resources and to increase perceptions of success.
• Diplomacy, tact, and respect of other people from varied backgrounds, understanding diverse cultural views especially within west Africa with the ability to convert diversity into opportunities to improve program/operational outcomes.
• Ability to create a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths bringing together innovative practices.
• Ability to remain objective in appraisals, evaluations and in managing conflict regardless of cultural differences positions, gender issues or opinions, and encourages staff to overcome cultural and gender barriers and background differences.
• Ability to serve the interest of a culturally diverse multinational teams/organizations/communities and some disable groups without prejudice, bias, or sympathy to a select group.
• Solid understanding of the ECOWAS organizational structure, associated dynamics and expectations as required to collaborate, participate, contribute, and lead effectively.
• Applied knowledge of the Community mandate, strategic plan/priorities as well as the economic, political, and social state/trends of member states, especially as pertains to own scope of work.
• Knowledge of ECOWAS best practices, program management approaches and research techniques to lead and/or contribute to the development or assessment of programs, projects, or initiatives.
• Superior knowledge of the rules and procedures of ECOWAS to appropriately interpret and apply directive text, provide technical advice, coach others and assess performance.
• Ability to analyze a situation by way of indicators (e.g. performance, technical) to assess the costs, benefits, risks, and chances for success, in deciding.
• Ability to pull together information from different sources to identify the source of problems, consequences of alternative courses of action, potential obstacles, and ways to avoid the problem in the future.
• Ability to break down very complex situations/information into simple terms (using charts, diagrams, effective expository writing) to explain recommendations and conclusions aimed at solving problems or improving operations/programs/projects.
• Ability to develop new insights into situations, apply innovative solutions to problems and to design new methods of addressing issues/disconnects where established methods and procedures are inapplicable, unavailable, or no longer effective.
• Proficiency in oral and written French and English languages.
• Ability to communicate with impact, clearly and concisely in a succinct and organized manner conveying credibility & confidence when making presentations, setting expectations, and explaining complex issues.
• Ability to listen intently and correctly interpret messages from others and respond appropriately.
• Accomplished technical writing skills (e.g. proposals, terms of reference, program assessments, blueprints, business processes) with well-developed editing.
• Ability to give honest feedback, provide recognition, address shortcomings, and motivate direct reports to work at peak performance.
• Fluency in one of the three ECOWAS official languages (English, French & Portuguese)
• Superior organizational and project/program management skills with significant experience identifying timelines, targets, costs, and resources necessary to deliver on operational/program/project outputs.
• Ability to set effective goals and targets for self, others, and the work unit and adjusting work or project priorities in response to changing circumstances.
• Ability to identify gaps affecting the achievement of program/project expectations and to design and implement intervention plans required to build the desired capacity (e.g. training, structural realignment, partnerships, reallocation of resources.
• Ability to implement rigorous monitoring, and evaluation practices and to set in place regular reporting schedules relevant to key outputs (e.g. management indicators, project milestones, program results, processing targets).
• Ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Annual Salary
UA 53,809.91 / USD 84,901.27

Application Closing Date
15th May, 2024.